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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(7)

Diversity and depth-related patterns of mobile invertebrates associated with kelp forests

Melinda A. Coleman A B , Elaine Vytopil A , Paris J. Goodsell A C , Bronwyn M. Gillanders A and Sean D. Connell A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, DP418, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

B Present address: Centre for Marine Biofouling and Bioinnovation, 501H Biological Sciences Building, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia.

C Present address: Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities, Marine Ecology Laboratories A11, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: sean.connell@adelaide.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 58(7) 589-595 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF06216
Submitted: 16 November 2006  Accepted: 14 May 2007   Published: 26 July 2007

Abstract

It is remarkable that although the importance of depth is firmly rooted in the discipline of marine ecology, so little is understood about depth-related patterns of invertebrates in kelp forests, particularly in temperate Australia. We tested for the existence of broad scale patterns in depth-related diversity and abundance of mobile invertebrates in kelp holdfasts (Ecklonia radiata) across several spatial scales along 500 km of coastline. There was a greater abundance and richness of common taxa in holdfasts from shallow relative to deep waters. Strikingly, a disproportionately large percentage (60%) of species was unique to holdfasts from shallow reefs, suggesting that shallow environments create conditions that facilitate a rich biodiversity of invertebrate fauna. We conclude that depth-related variation in kelp forests may not be completely idiosyncratic, and coherent research programs of a broader scale and scope may unify subsets of fragmented knowledge that previously provided little insight into general depth-related patterns of invertebrate assemblages.

Additional keywords: broad scale, depth, diversity, Ecklonia radiata, shallow.


Acknowledgements

We thank Meegan Fowler-Walker, Andrew Irving and Travis Elsdon for assistance with fieldwork and logistics. This work was supported by an ARC discovery grant to S. D. Connell and B. M. Gillanders and ARC fellowships to M. A. Coleman and B. M. Gillanders.


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